Is Raul Castro the change we have been waiting for?

Richard Lugar (once Richard Nixon’s “favorite mayor”) has denounced restrictive U.S. policies towards Cuba and called for a re-evaluation of these policies to take advantage of political changes in Cuba. Lugar made this argument in an appendix to a report by Republican staffers on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Lugar is the senior Republican member of that committee.

Lugar may well have it backwards; recent developments probably cut in favor of maintaining our restrictive policies. The aged Fidel Castro has been replaced by the aged Raul Castro who, in turn, will probably need to be replaced soon. Perhaps the most sensible course is to maintain current restrictions so that, when the time comes, the prospect of a lifting of these restrictions will provide Cuba with an extra incentive to replace the current regime with one far better disposed towards the U.S. and the democratic principles for which we stand. .